Hello and welcome to this week’s edition of the Student Hub email digest! In this week’s edition, we have TCD climbing 27 places in the latest set of world university rankings, more on the accommodation crisis, Sinn Féin support high among under-34s; Brianna Parkins on the virtue in being an absolute pest, we have a piece on colleges’ capacity, Google scholarships for AI students and analysis on why dropout rates are so high in Ireland.
Trinity College climbs 27 places in latest set of world university rankings: Trinity College Dublin, Ireland’s highest-ranked third-level institution, has climbed 27 places to 134th in the latest set of world university rankings.
Greater support for Sinn Féin among under-34s shows challenge facing FF and FG: Sinn Féin’s support among younger people is significantly higher than the combined backing for Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael, according to the results of the latest Irish Times/Ipsos opinion poll.
‘In the early 20th century Irish families lived in bedsits. Now we have 10 or 12 students or migrants in one small apartment’: Growing up in a small mining town in the north of Spain, in the Galicia region, Emilio Maira saw how dangerous his family’s work could be, and learned the importance of being in a union.
Brianna Parkins: There is virtue to being an absolute pest: Being annoying is an overlooked skill or worse, a maligned quality. It is a shame, really, because annoying people are often the ones who get things done. Or achieve a win. Or draw attention to an issue.
Colleges’ capacity to deliver skilled graduates is ‘stretched to the limit’, warn university presidents: University presidents have warned the Government that their capacity to deliver high-quality education has been “stretched to the limit” due to rising student-staff ratios and underfunding.
Google announces €1.5m in scholarships for AI students: Google has unveiled a new €1.5 million scholarship fund to help support students from underrepresented communities in the area of AI.
‘Huge variance’ in dropout rates across college courses a concern, Simon Harris says: The “huge variance” in student dropout rates across colleges and courses is a concern and needs to be investigated, Minister for Higher Education Simon Harris has said.
Why are college dropout rates on the up in Ireland? News that student dropout rates have been climbing across universities comes as no surprise to Treasa Fox.
College dropout levels climb amid ‘perfect storm’ of Covid disruption: Student dropout rates climbed across all third level colleges during the 2020-21 academic year, against the backdrop of a “perfect storm” of Covid disruption and disengagement linked to online learning.
